SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
inimical
adjective
Hostile or harmful to something.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Hostile or harmful
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topInimical commonly takes to. It can describe harmful conditions without implying intentional hostility.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See inimical in use
Constant interruptions are inimical to careful reading.
Continued secret-keeping was inimical to rebuilding trust, because participants could not evaluate plans while important information remained concealed.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license